One of the interests I have when it comes to food and drinks is visiting Speakeasy. I love discovering a little secret hideaway. Although, Speakeasy nowadays are not so hidden nowadays, and not so secret anymore either. Still, it is still a fun experience to go visit one. One of the Speakeasies that was on my list to visit is called The Bar Downstairs. Even though it has a sign right next to a super bright and uniquely designed door, you don’t immediately think it is a door to a bar by looking at it. I actually remember walking by here on my way to somewhere else, thinking it is an interesting “graffiti”…It was even more interesting when I realized that this is a door leading us down to the Speakeasy!

Once we entered the colorful door, there was a cafe to the right, and the sign to the bar with a hand pointing which way to go. For “secret” Speakeasy, the sign was everywhere… Kind of funny.

We followed the pointing finger and went down the stairs, excited to see what the bar looks like. From my quick research, I knew I would find a shiny rat by the entrance. I know, strange… But then…

I found him! He was bigger than I thought, and much shinier than I imagined. Pretty fancy mouse, facing towards the door, inviting you to go in.

The inside was dimly lit, and much bigger than I thought. One thing about having a restaurant or bar in the basement is that there is a chance you can get a pretty good size space. Here, they had large sofas, low tables and chair by the entrance, showing off the large open space. The exposed brick from the upstairs are carried into the inside, creating a cozy atmosphere.

 

They have a lot of seating, all around the walls, by the bar, and everywhere in between. The tables in the open space were big long tables, meant to be shared among many customers. They have smaller tables around the wall, smaller size for two or possibly three people if you squeeze into it.

The focal point of the bar was definitely the big kitchen/bar in the middle. It was beautiful, and also the brightest spot in the bar, surrounded by dark wood walls, wood flooring & furniture, and exposed bricks everywhere. The bar counter was nice size, so that people having food and or drinks had more than enough space to relax.

Their menu had wood cover, and the first page had a funny quote that said “The problems with some people is that when they aren’t drunk, they’re sober.” So true…LOL  Their drink menu is quite extensive, going for eight pages long. They have seasonal cocktails, wines, beers, hard liqueur, and yes, they have non-alcoholic too if you are one of those people who want the bar “experience” without alcohol.

We started off with a couple of cocktails, Gin Gin Mule ($16) and Vodka Cobbler ($16) from their Classic Cocktails section. They came in tall glasses, nice sizes, not one of those tiny little glasses which made me happy. All of their Classic Cocktails are $16 each.

Gin Gin Mule is made with gin, ginger syrup (hence the “Gin Gin” I am guessing), lime and mint. It was strong, high quality and yes, very tasty! It had a really good ginger flavor, and super refreshing from the lime and mint. With its quality and portion, it was totally worth the price tag.

Vodka Cobbler is made with vodka, cocchi americano, lemon, blackberry, raspberry, and strawberry. It had a beautiful deep red color to it, and topped off with a lemon slice. It was strong, fruity without being overly sweet, classic drink. High quality as the Gin Gin, and really enjoyed them both.

For food, they have mainly just small plates to accompany the drinks. This is no so much the full-on dinner spot. We ordered Papas Bravas ($11), salsa brava with aioli and pimentón. It was very tasty and comforting. Nice and crispy on the outside, very soft and potato-y in the inside. The flavor from the pimentón was great, smokey and a bit spicy, which was calmed down by creamy aioli.  Even thought it is not a large portion, it was filling and we were happy with our choice.

One thing I heard about this place other than amazing cocktails is their Shiship Peppers. So many people raved about it, so we of course got one for ourselves to try. Shishito peppers ($8) is lightly fried with lime sea salt on top. It had nice saltiness to it, fresh and sweet. Some people think the are spicy, but most of the Shishito Peppers are not spicy, but rather, they are more on a sweet side. But, when you get a spicy one, they are REALLY spicy! Out of the bowlful of peppers, I think we got two peppers that were spicy. But since we like spicy food, that was ok, and it is kind of fun to see if get hit with a surprise spicy attach. Overall, it was as good as people described them. It was addictive and awesomely delicious.

 

We each got another cocktails, Airmail ($16) and Pisco Sour ($16), also from their Classic Cocktail section.

 

Airmail is made with white rum, honey syrup, lemon, and champagne. I like a little bubbly with my cocktail… This one was really good too, strong, classy and elegant flavor, with nice sweetness to it  from the honey syrup. The lemon was a great addition to the flavor as a whole. I love the mix of honey and lemon, so this was a really nice drink for me.

 

The last cocktail of choice was Pisco Sour, made with pisco, lemon, egg white, and angostura. Ever since we had a cocktail with egg white, we’ve become a big fan of it. So, when we saw a cocktail with egg white, we had to give it a try. The ones we had in the past all came in the same style of glass, so it was not a surprise when this one came to our table. It was as creamy as we wanted it to be, with nice lemony flavor. Very nice amber color from pisco brandy, it was comforting and a great ending to our night.

 

They bathroom is tucked away at the back corner. Here, their pointing finger also helps out guiding you to the bathroom.

The inside is clean, modern, and a good size. It is always nice to have more than one bathroom, especially for a restaurant/bar that is this large. I like the use of dark wood against white walls. Sometimes, the owners pay attention to the design of their restaurants/bars, but then forget about the bathroom. I like those places where you know they put enough care and attention to their bathroom as well.

As we headed out, we noticed there is a shiny mouse in the inside as well. As the mouse on the outside welcomed us in, this one was seeing us off. And then, the main entrance/exit door to the street had both side to it. The door on the inside was as colorful as the other side, facing the street. Pretty cool graffiti art.

I am glad we finally got to visit this bar, our expectation of the drinks were met, we enjoyed them all. The service was friendly and we had a really nice, relaxing time here. The cocktails were great, and the little snacks we had were both tasty also. With its spacious interior, it didn’t feel crowded the entire time we were there, and we never felt like we were being rushed. It is always good to discover a good, relaxing bar where you can just chill out with a delicious cocktail or two.

The Bar Downstairs – 485 5th Ave, Manhattan, NY 10018